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CALFED Watershed Stewardship Grant
The Napa County RCD received a one-year grant, beginning in July 1998, from CALFED. There are three major task areas to the grant: Restoration, Hydrologic Modeling, and Stewardship. The common thread among the task areas is the enhancement of the Napa River Watershed.
Restoration
The RCD formed a Guidance Committee (comprising representatives of public and private agencies and nonprofit groups) that developed criteria for the selection of two or more demonstration sites for restoration activities on tributaries to the Napa River. Restoration techniques used in aquatic habitat enhancement and riparian corridor redevelopment will be demonstrated at the chosen sites, which are on Dry Creek, Sulphur Creek, and Hopper Creek.
Hydrologic Modeling
Cross section and flow data have been gathered for Hopper Creek and Garnett Creek, and these tributaries have been added to the RCD’s existing Napa River model. We have developed a new rainfall/runoff model for the entire Napa River watershed and separately calibrated it for the Hopper and Garnett watersheds. Hydrodynamic models of the two watersheds and a pilot non-cohesive sediment transport model of Hopper are in progress.
Stewardship
The RCD has expanded existing District support for local watershed planning and management by providing direct facilitation and organizational support to two watershed stewardships on Hopper and Garnett Creeks. We will provide training in group organizational skills as well as in a wide range of protocols used to monitor biotic and abiotic changes in stream channels and upland areas.
Hydrologic Modeling
In addition to the modeling activities mentioned above, the RCD is working in partnership with the State Coastal Conservancy, the County of Napa, and a biological consultant from Woodward/Clyde to develop a restoration and enhancement plan for the lower Napa River (south of the “Southern Crossing”). The hydrologic model being developed by the RCD will be used to examine the effects of watershed management on the marshes of the lower Napa River.
Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group
The Napa County RCD has been working with the Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group (NSWG) since the group was formed in 1995. The mission of NSWG is to “identify and promote winegrowing practices that are economically viable, socially responsible, and environmentally sound.” Group members represent Napa winegrape growers, vintners, and local government and educational organizations.
In 1997, NSWG published the first edition of the Integrated Pest Management Field Handbook for Napa County, which may be ordered from the Napa RCD ($10, including shipping) or found at the Napa RCD web site (www.naparcd.org). The group is currently working on the development of a “user-friendly” guidebook on sustainable winegrowing practices in Napa County. A 1998 grant from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (Environmental Quality Incentives Program, or EQIP) has enabled NSWG to hold educational workshops on sustainable winegrape growing for the public in 1999, while also covering the cost of newsletter production and distribution. The dates for the upcoming workshops are August 10 “Practical Aspects of Hillside Erosion Control” and August 27 “Water Quality”.
NSWG received its second grant from the US. Department of Agriculture (EQIP) in June 1999. With this grant NSWG will continue to hold workshops and distribute newsletters throughout the year 2000. One of the three upcoming newsletters in 2000 will be published in Spanish.
Contact Astrid Bock-Foster of the Napa RCD at 707-252-4188 or nswg@naparcd.org if you would like to have your name added to the newsletter mailing list or if you have any questions about the group. If your name is added to the newsletter mailing list, you will also receive notification of upcoming workshops.
Conservation Regulations
Through a Joint Powers Agreement with the Napa County Planning Department, Napa RCD staff members Dave Steiner and Astrid Bock-Foster review erosion control plans for agricultural conversions on lands of 5% or greater slope. As a non-regulatory agency, the Napa RCD does not issue permits, but it does review erosion control plans to ascertain if they have met the requirements of the Napa County Ordinance. Approval is recommended if warranted, or suggestions are made for changes if a plan has not met the specifications of the Ordinance. Beginning this year, the Napa RCD is also developing a database (MS-Access) to organize and store information about brush and tree clearance and soil types on new and newly replanted vineyards.
Napa River Watershed Volunteer Monitoring Program & Stewardship Groups
The Napa RCD Volunteer Monitoring Program was started in the fall of 1995 to “help maintain a sustainable river ecosystem by involving the public in watershed monitoring activities.” Volunteers from around the Napa River Watershed have been trained by the RCD to collect data on water quality (dissolved oxygen, temperature, and conductivity), rainfall, riparian vegetation, bird use of riparian areas, streambank erosion, and stream channel characteristics (cross-sections and longitudinal profiles). Thanks to the CALFED grant, we will be able to offer additional training to volunteers in the use of several protocols designed to assess fisheries habitat: streambank observation (fish count), pebble count, embeddedness, and “V*,” which measures sedimentation in pools. Volunteers will collect data at the demonstration restoration sites and within their own stewardship watersheds.
The Napa RCD supports interns from local high schools and from Napa Valley College. In the past year, high school interns have developed a portable, physical model of a watershed to demonstrate non-point source pollution; and also a riparian vegetation identification manual featuring color prints of vegetation samples that the interns collected, scanned, and described. Interns have also assisted RCD survey crews and have entered field data into our monitoring database.
The concepts of volunteer monitoring and stewardship go hand in hand. The same Regional Water Quality Control Board grant that made the start-up of the Volunteer Monitoring Program possible, also enabled us to support the formation or expansion of Stewardship Groups around the Napa River Watershed. We continue to support existing groups, such as those in the Huichica Creek Watershed and Dry Creek Watershed, and are supporting our newest groups through the CALFED grant.
AmeriCorps Watershed Education
Eight AmeriCorps members coordinate watershed service learning projects and school garden projects throughout Napa County for the Napa RCD. At six public and one private school, garden education is integrated into the regular curriculum. Kids visit the garden daily to learn about food webs, nutrients, habitat, soils, and water. An estimated 2000 children will benefit this school year from the Connolly Ranch Agriculture and Environmental Education Program. Fifth-grade docents in the organic garden,on nature hikes, and while caring for the farm animals at the ranch. In the Huichica Creek service learning project with Redwood Middle School, over 330 Oak and Black Walnut trees have been planted since May of 1998, and selected areas have been cleared of exotic thistle. Later this year, students will establish a native plant garden and develop an educational interpretive board for the Mayor Salomon Memorial Garden at Alston Park in Napa. Seeds from this garden will be used to generate seedlings that will be planted elsewhere around the park.
Geographic Information System
The Geographic Information System (GIS) at the Napa RCD supports all RCD programs and has been very useful in the production of maps for meetings and reports. The GIS will become increasingly useful in the analysis of data about the Napa River Watershed as the monitoring database grows. This spring the Napa County RCD received a complete set of USGS 1993 Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quads of Napa County. These one-meter resolution air photos allow an assessment of land cover on a large scale, and will allow analysis of data gathered through the volunteer monitoring program. Also completed in 1999 by NRCS is a digital version of the 1978 Soil Survey of Napa County. The most frequent GIS data request that the Napa RCD receives is for soils data.
Huichica Creek Wetland A Success
Last June a weir was installed at the Huichica Creek Demonstration Vineyard to recreate a historic wetland. During winter storms, Huichica Creek overflows its right bank upstream of the Duhig Road bridge. The overflow crosses a pasture and moves through a low-lying area in the middle of the RCD vineyard before it rejoins Huichica creek farther downstream. This area was formerly a wetland, but had been ploughed under, farmed and grazed for the past 60 years. By the 1990s, the area was covered in thistle, Harding grass and meadow barley.
Last January, a set of 2”X6” and 2”x2” boards were installed in the weir. By February 1, 11 ¾ inches of water were measured at weir. Already there was evidence of waterfowl use: several feathers belonging to Pintails, Mallards and Shovelers were left behind. At least six Greater Yellow Legs took up residence for the season, serenaded by a symphony of miscellaneous frogs. Egrets, Herons, Canada Geese, Sandpipers, Killdeer, Pheasants, Red-tailed Hawks, Vultures, Sparrows, Finches, Robins and Snipes also enjoyed a temporarily expanded aquatic habitat.
By late February, RCD staff began removing boards as the water level was encroaching upon the grapevines. Bud break occurred on schedule in mid March with no delays. The last of the boards were removed in mid March to control mosquitoes; by late April the pond was dry.
Wetland vegetation was surveyed in May by Yvette O’Keefe and Carolyn d’Almeida, with guidance from Scott Volmer and Ellie Insley. Surveys were taken along the same transects as the baseline survey conducted by Ellie in April 1998 prior to construction of the wier. There appears to be some reduction in Harding grass and Italian ryegrass as a result of the impounding of water, and a substantial stand of Juncus balticus (baltic rush) has also appeared within the first season. We look forward to monitoring the continued transformation of this vital area in the coming years.
Baseline Bird Monitoring Completed at Huichica Creek
The three-year RCD volunteer bird monitoring program on Huichica Creek was successfully completed this past January. Landowners along Huichica Creek granted access to RCD staff and thirteen skilled, local birders who collected data every spring, summer, fall, and winter from May 1996 to January 1999.
Using a standard, ten-minute point count protocol, RCD volunteers collected data at 17 stations representing a range of habitats along the creek. Toward the headwaters of the creek, Valley and Live Oak are mixed with Alder, Bay, and Big-Leaf Maple in the riparian corridor. Willows then dominate the riparian area farther downstream as the creek passes through vineyards, after which the creek becomes brackish from tidal action. Forbs, grasses, and shrubs grow along lower Huichica Creek as it traverses the marsh and empties into the slough complex of San Pablo Bay.
In total, 122 species of birds were identified by the RCD volunteer birders. Some of these birds are riparian indicator species (as listed by the California Riparian Habitat Joint Venture), including Willow Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, and Yellow Warbler. Other species identified are considered California Species of Special Concern (California Dept. of Fish and Game) and include Cooper's Hawk, Golden Eagle, Loggerhead Shrike, and Merlin, among others.
Research indicates that the physical structure of a plant community (how the foliage is distributed vertically) and the local floristic composition (what plants are there) both influence bird diversity at a site (The Birder's Handbook, Ehrlich et al., 1988). Huichica Creek attracts a wide range of species partly because the creek passes through so many different plant communities, from oak woodland at its headwaters to marsh habitat at its mouth. Many species use the oak woodland, and many species use the willow-dominated corridors that run through the vineyards, for example, but the list of species in each of those two plant communities differs from the other, although with significant overlap.
Our baseline data enables us to examine patterns in the distribution of bird species along the length of the creek. Each bird species hunts for food using particular techniques, such as "hawking" (short flights to capture flying insects), "stalk and strike" (hunting by standing motionless on a bank or in the water and spearing prey), and "ground gleaning" (picking up items from the surface of soil, turf, sand, etc.) Descriptions of these techniques are found in The Birder's Handbook.
Slightly more than 50% of the birds detected along Huichica Creek are classified as ground or foliage gleaners. These species were found in all reaches of the creek. Some species, however, were found in certain reaches only. For example, Song Sparrows were found south of Hwy 12/121 only, and were found in far greater numbers in the marsh than elsewhere. There are many explanations for this particular species' distribution, just as there are for all 122 species found. The Birder's Handbook is an excellent reference on bird behavior and includes all birds you may see in Napa County.
Sound management of the riparian corridor at Huichica Creek has maintained the integrity of this extremely important habitat. We thank the landowners along Huichica Creek for their support of the three-year bird monitoring program and for their continued, thoughtful stewardship of the land. We also thank our dedicated, volunteer birders who were essential to the success of the program: Rich Bertoli, John Boyd, Keith Gish, Bruce Irwin, Marge Irwin, Guy Kay, Robert Kraft, Herb McGrew, John O'Connell, Mike Parmeter, Mike Rippey, Ann Smith, and Duane Smith. Community members interested in getting a digital copy of the RCD bird database may do so by contacting the Napa RCD.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Seventeen agriculture producers in the Napa River/Putah Creek Watershed successfully competed for $100 K in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). In June, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) evaluated proposals based on their potential effectiveness of conservation work, adherence to program goals, and funds requested. EQIP contracts will fund cover crops, grassed waterways, stream-side buffer vegetation, livestock troughs, pipeline for livestock water development, cross-fencing for grazing management, planting stream-side native trees and shrubs, sediment basin and pipelines for erosion control in replant vineyards. Since 1991 during the inception of EQIP, the Napa River/Putah Creek Watershed has received over $300 K.
EQIP funding is also available on a state-wide competitive basis if you are a agriculture producer in the Suisun Watershed.
During early Spring of 2000, NRCS will accept EQIP applications for the next funding period. We encourage plans or management schemes to be formulated in advance.
Meet the Napa County Conservation Information Group
Last year a group of local environmental regulators, agreeing there was a need for better communication between their agencies and to the public, came together with the help of Napa's Natural Resources Conservation Service to form the Napa County Conservation Information Group. Besides sharing information with each other, the group members are working to better educate the public about the purposes behind the environmental regulations and to help make the process of complying with them easier and more understandable.
One product of this outreach was a "Creekbank and Property Protection" bio-technical restoration workshop presented in collaboration with local restoration contractors on June 25th. This workshop was attended by over 55 vineyard owners, engineers, and government agency representatives.
At the workshop, the second product was introduced, a "Stream and Hillside - Natural Resources Protection Guide" brochure. It discusses the importance and sensitivities of riparian areas, hillsides, and forests, and gives detailed information about how to work successfully with the regulations that apply to activities in these areas. This brochure will be given out to the public by the participating agencies and will also be mailed to most Napa County agricultural landowners. Please call the RCD office if you would like a copy.
State Fund Study of Recycled Mulch for Erosion Control in Hillside Vineyards
The California Integrated Waste Management Board has funded a project which may provide and effective and affordable tool to help manage erosion in hillside vineyards.
Sonoma Compost Co. and Napa Garbage Service area developing a composted mulch derived from recycled yard trimmings to demonstrate and evaluate its use for erosion control. The two-year study, “Utilization of Composted Mulch in Hillside Vineyards”, received a grant of nearly $100,000.00 from the Waste Board to perform their study.
“ It’s believed that mulching the vine row, which is typically kept weed free, will reduce the potential for erosion”, according to Will Bakx, soil scientist at Sonoma Compost and project manager for the study. Bakx says, “The project is designed to quantify reductions in soil loss and will also look at the economics of mulching, application techniques and effects composted mulch may have on soil fertility, production, and grape quality”. The mulch’s potential for suppressing weeds or controlling pests will also be studied.
The demonstration projects will take place on four different vineyards: Iron Horse Vineyards and Everett Ridge Vineyards in Sonoma County, and Beringer Wine Estates and Walsh Vineyard Management in Napa County.
Sonoma Compost Co. and Napa Garbage Service have partnered with the Napa and Sotoyome County Resource Conservation Districts, Napa and Sonoma County’s University of California Cooperative Extensions, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Sonoma County Farm Bureau and the City of Napa to perform this research project.
This summer the project team will conduct an open house for vineyard owners, managers and consultants to outline its work, present the composted mulch and demonstrate appropriate spreading equipment. A rain simulator will be demonstrated to illustrate how the mulch behaves under different rain fall conditions.
Visitors to the open house will also learn about the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation which will be used to model and project long term changes in soil loss as a result of mulch application. The projections will be evaluated against data obtained over a period of two years from sediment traps placed in vine rows. The project is considered particularly timely since both Napa and Sonoma Counties have ordinances in place to minimize soil erosion in vineyards. For more information contact Will Bakx, Sonoma Compost Co. at (707) 664-9113, Kerry Williams, Sotoyome RCD at (707) 569-1448, or the Napa County RCD (707) 252-4188.
Cooperators Make Stream Restoration Happen!!!
The Guidance Committee for the Calfed Riparian Corridor and Aquatic Habitat Restoration Demonstration Site met twice and selected two restoration sites from thirty applications received using selection criteria that the Committee established. Guidance Committee members represent the following local agencies and groups: Department of Fish and Game, Pierce’s Disease Task Force, Napa Sustainable Wine Growers, Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Napa County Land Trust, Friends of the Napa River, Napa Valley Grape Growers Association, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Napa-Sonoma Mosquito Abatement District, Region II Water Quality Control Board, Agricultural Commissioner, Carneros Quality Alliance, Bacchus Agriculture Services, and Stewardship Groups.
The first of the chosen restoration sites is on Dry Creek at Highway 29 and Darms Lane and the second is on Sulphur Creek at White Sulphur Springs Resort. Both sites will demonstrate various in-stream and bank stabilization techniques for habitat restoration. If there are funds remaining the committee felt they should be used on a riparian restoration project at Dominus Winery on Hopper Creek, west of the town of Yountville. The Hopper Creek demonstration will be useful to vineyard growers who are concerned about the grapevine-killing Pierce’s Disease.
Progress to Date
Native re-vegetation plans have been completed for Sulphur Creek and Dry Creek. The RCD has had extensive assistance from members of the community who are knowledgeable about native plants, including: Scott Volmer, a local landscape architect with expertise in native plants; Nick Anast, a Napa Valley College (NVC) biology teacher; Ralph and Evelyn Ingols of the Native Plant Society; and intern Carolyn D’Almeida, who has filled the NVC greenhouse with native seedlings and helped with much of the planning for the restoration sites.
JKH General Engineering, Inc. of Lake County has generously donated most of the expense of heavy equipment operation at both Sulphur and Dry Creek. Kevin Hawk, CEO/President and Scott DeLeon, Engineer, will bring their invaluable expertise to these projects which involve innovative techniques not used extensively in the Napa Valley.
Bob Coey, Russian River Basin Planner with California Department of Fish and Game, has devoted many hours of his time to advise on project design. He has been instrumental in making the project happen and has offered to help oversee construction.
California Conservation Corps will be helping with the hard physical labor at the restoration sites.
Topographical surveys were completed at Sulphur Creek and Dry Creek. The surveys are necessary for design, planning, and monitoring. Bob Albers of the USDA-NRCS oversaw the survey and Jered Sneesby of Reichers, Spence and Associates completed the drafting.
Work Continues
Monitoring of spawning habitat, vegetation, channel morphology and fish counts will take place at the restoration sites pre- and post- construction. Some monitoring has already been completed. As mentioned above, channel topography was surveyed at both sites, and spawning habitat was surveyed at the Dry Creek site. Volunteers have been a big help in monitoring, so far.
Construction is expected to begin in late July. Tree and shrub planting and bank stabilization with willow material will happen in the fall. Stewardship members and other community members are encouraged to visit and/or participate in construction. See you out there!
Pierce’s Disease & Riparian Habitat Workgroup
The Pierce’s Disease/Riparian Habitat Workgroup formed in January, 1999. Its mission is to promote a healthy riparian ecosystem while reducing the incidence of Pierce’s Disease in vineyards to an economically sustainable level.
The Workgroup is an ad hoc group of growers, local and regional resource agencies, UC researchers and resource professionals in Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino Counties. It is not directly associated with the North Coast Pierce’s Disease Task Force, but Task Force Board members participate in the workgroup, in partnership with the Task Force, just received a $21,000.00 Educational Grant from the Natural Resource Conservation Service to produce an information brochure and conduct a series of workshops.
The main project of the group is to produce an information brochure, which will be completed this fall, and will conduct workshops about Pierce’s disease management in vineyards adjacent to riparian areas. Vegetation management of sharpshooter host plants in the riparian zone is an approach to reducing Pierce’s disease that will be discussed in detail in the document and workshops.
The group is open, feel free to participate in meetings. The workshop encourages all interested growers, researchers, agencies, environmental groups and resource professionals to participate. Please join us, whether you would like to provide input, or simply follow what is happening. Contact Ellie Insley at (707) 224-3497 or newts2@compuserve.com.
Kid's Page-How to Create a Leaf Mobile
Streams are fun places where you can find the most beautiful and interesting plants. Due to the moisture provided by the stream, there is a large number of different kinds of plants One way to get to know some of these plants is to go exploring by a nearby stream and look at the trees, shrubs, and flowers that you find. Follow the instructions below to create a neat art project using the some these stream plants
Step 1. Take a walk along a stream near you and collect some of the interesting leaves, twigs, and pieces of bark you may find.
Step 2. Make salt dough by mixing together four cups of flour, one cup salt, and one and a half cups of water. Knead for five minutes. (You can also use plaster of paris or clay.)
Step 3. Use one ball of clay for each leaf print. Flatten the dough onto a piece of waxed paper.
Step 4. Use the leaves you found to make impressions into the clay. Use a pencil to poke a hole in the top of each ornament.
Step 5. Allow clay to air dry completely (at least 2 to 3 days) or bake in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Once dry, the ornaments can be painted using a variety of colors.
Step 6. Use fishing line or thin string to attach each ornament to a piece of thin branch. Try to vary the length of each string to create an interesting display. Add a piece of string to the top of your branch so that you can hang your mobile.
Your leaf mobile is complete! Now you can hang it in any visible spot, such as in front of a window or near a door.
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